Thread-advancing reel



1952 A. JACKSON THREAD-ADVANCING REEL 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed April 16, 1948 Aug. 12, 1952 A. L. JACKSON THREAD-ADVANCING REEL Filed April 16, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 llrifizarl. helm! wow,

Patented Aug. 12, 1952 OFFICE."

THREAD-ADVANCING RJEEL Arthur L. Jackson, West Asheville, N. 0., assignor to American Enka- Corporation, Enka, N. 0., a

corporation of Delaware Applicatin April 16, 1948, Serial No. 21,385

This invention relates to thread-storage, thread-advancing devices, and more particularly to a thread-storage, thread-advancing device adapted for use in the after-treatment of wetspun rayon threads and the like. 7

In the art of continuous spinning, which usually involves the after-treatment of a freshly spun thread on a plurality of thread-storage, thread-advancing devices, there have been developed several basic types of thread-handling machines. One of these involves a pair of cylinders supported at one end and having their axes convergent in the direction of the unsupported end, and another of these in a reel-like structure comprised of interdigitating rods, half of which are mounted on one axis and half on another, the two axes being closely adjacent and convergent so that the thread, in passing alongthe reel, passes alternately from one set of rods tothe other and so is caused to advance in a generally helical path.

Both of the foregoing types of thread-storage, thread-advancing devices have met with a considerable degree of commercial acceptance, but both of them are open to certain objections which have heretofore been regarded as necessary incidents to the operation of such apparatus. For example, in the use of the two-roller type thread-storage, thread-advancing device, the thread passes in a generally helical path around the two rollers. If breakage occurs, however, the thread tends to stick to one of the rollers and to wind around it so that very often before an operator can get to the unit to take corrective measures, a considerable amount of yarnis wrapped around the cylinder so that stoppage of the unit and a cleaning operation is necessary before the unit can be put back into operation.

Actually, from the point of view of thread breakage, the two-cylinder type of threadstorage, thread-advancing device is superior to the type involving interdigitating reels. However, for treatment purposes, the interdigitatingtype reel affords the advantage that it is compact,'easy to thread up and canbe supported in cantilever fashion without'the use of bearings having high load ratings.

It-is proposed, according to this invention, to overcome the difficulties heretofore caused by thread breakage on a thread-storage, threadadvancing device, and to provide a threadstorage, thread-advancing device of the reel or cage type, which is characterized by a relative movement of its component parts which renders 1 Claim. (01. 287l.5)

the unit self-cleaning in the event of thread breakage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a thread-storage, thread-advancingdevice composed of two cages which rotate in overlapping paths and wherein the surfaces of the two component cages move in opposite directions in the zones of overlap while the cages, as a whole, turn in the same direction.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent upon conisderation of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment in connection with the annexed drawings wherein:

Figure lis a view inside elevation of a threadstorage thread-advancing device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in elevation of, the free end of the thread-storage, thread-advancing device of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in vertical section through the axes of the device of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a view in elevation of the driving end of the thread-storage, thread-advancingdevice of Figure 1. v 7

Referring now in greater detail to the drawings, the thread-storage, thread-advancing device there shown is comprised of two reels or cages l0 and II. The lower reel, I0 is. comprised of eight rods or bars [2, circumferentially spaced to define a generally cylindrical thread-sup? porting structure. The bars l2 at the left-hand end of Figure 1 are curved to define a spider l3, and the hub of this spider is attached to and supported from a drive shaft l4. While the spider I3 is illustrated as integral with the rods or bars l2 and formed by them, it is, of course, apparent that the spider I3 may be a separate structure. In any event, the hub of the spider I3 is attached to the drive shaft M by suitable means, such as the lock bolt l5 shown in Fig ure 1.

At the end remote from the spider l3,-and shaft I4 is mounted in a bearing block I6 having a lower bifurcated end. The block {6 is pivotally mounted in a rectangular slot ll of a bearing plate I8. The angular position of the block l6 and hence the shaft 44 is adjustable by operation of an adjusting bolt 19. The bolt I9 is in threaded engagement with a sleeve 20 and is rotatably mounted in another sleeve 2|.

The right-hand end of the shaft It, as it is viewed in Figure 1, is provided with a spur gear 3 22. This gear is keyed to the shaft [4, and it is through the gear 22 that the shaft [4 is driven.

The driving of the gear 22 is effected through an idler gear 23 which is mounted for rotation on a stud 24 that is supported in a socket in the plate IS. The gear 23 meshes with a gear 25 which is keyed to a shaft 26 which is journaled in the block l8.

Shaft 26, at its end remote from the gear 25, is attached to a disc or plate 21 of circular cross section and, mounted in this plate, are the eight bars 28 that constitute the reel H. A spacing collar 29 is attached to the shaft 26 between the disc 2'1 and the plate It. A protective shield 30 separates the reels l and II from the driving mechanism therefor and this shield is provided with apertures to receive the collar 29 and the bolt 19.

It is to be noted that the reels l0 and II are of equal diameter and that the respective component rods thereof are equally spacedcircumferentially. The reel H is arranged with its axis a:$ horizontal, and the reel H] is arranged with its axis y-y inclined upwardly from right to left as it is viewed in Figures 1 and 3. In other words, the axes a:rc and y-y are-convergent in the direction of the unobstructed ends of the reels. The magnitude of this inclination is, of course, somewhat adjustable by operation of the bolt IS. The details of this Operation will be more apparent after a consideration of the structural details of the adjusting mechanism. Upon reference to Figures 2 and 4 it will be observed that the sleeves 20 and 2! are each mounted on oppositely, radially extending pivot pins. The pivot pins 3| and 32, that extend from the sleeve 20, are mounted for pivotal movement in the tines 33 and 34 respectively of the lower'bifurcated end of the bearing .block [6. Thus, the

sleeve is rendered rotatable or rockable about I the common horizontal axis of pins '3! and 32. Similarly oppositely radially extending pins 35 and 36 support the sleeve 2| for rocking movement about their common horizontal-axis. The pins 35 and 36 are held by supporting straps 31 and 38 respectively which are attached to the back surface of the plate 18 .adjacent the rectangular slot l'i.

The bearing block-1 6 is of. greater thickness at its upper end than at the lower-bifurcated end and oppositely extending horizontal pins 39 and 40 support the. block. from its end of greater thickness for rocking movement within the When adjustments of the angular-position of the shaft l4 are to be made, bolt i9 is turned and, since the threadedportionofthe bolt engages sleeve 20 while the end .of the boltis mounted for free rotation in the sleeve ;2 I, bearing block I6 is rocked .either clockwise or coun- I terclockwise about the axis of the pins-39 and '40 depending upon which way the screw 19 is turned. The adjustments are of such slight magnitude that the gears '22 and 23 continue to mesh properly throughout the entire desired' range of adjustment. 7

' The reels Hi and H are-so arrangedthatatheh respective peripheries overlap-in a zone between the axis of the shaft and the axis of the shaft '26, as can be clearly-seen in Figure-'3. However,

in view of the fact thatboth-ofthemiaredriven in the same 'directionand at the samespeed itis necessary initially to establish the proper angular position of the reels on their respective shafts in 4 order that the bars or rods l2 may interdigitate with the bars 28, as is indicated in Figure 3.

In operation, the device previously described is started by connecting the shaft 26 to a suitable power source so that that shaft is driven in a clockwise direction as it is viewed in Figure 2. The operator then takes the thread received from a spinning source, a supply body or a preceding thread-storage, thread-advancing device and winds a loop around the two cage elements 10 and I 1 near the right-hand end of those elements as they are viewed in Figure l. The closed loop so formed is fed axially from right to left, as viewed in Figure 1, at a rate which is a function of the convergence of the axes :z::c and 11-41. The take-up speed is, of course, controlled by the rotational speed of the shaft 26. In view of the fact that the gears 22, 23 and are all of the same size, both of the cages l0 and II will rotate at the same speed. Since they are equal in diameter, the peripheral speed of each will be the same. When the closed loop has progressed axially to the left-hand end of the cages, as they are viewed in Figure 1, the operator breaks the thread and leads it to the next stage of the operation; the 'loop used-during the threading upis taken off the free end of the device and"discarded.

Treating liquids may be applied to the thread during the passage across the thread-storage, thread-advancing device, and to that endnd i scharge devices may be disposed above the reel, and collection devices therebelow, so that the treating liquid may be recirculated.

If now reference ismade to Figure 2, it is noted that, although both'cages are rotating in a-clockwisedirection, as viewed'in that figure, thepath of movement of the rods l2 intersects the path/of movement of the rods 23from A to B, and-that, in this zone of intersection, the rods 28 are ;mov ing to the left while the rods l;2 are moving to the right. Consequently,-the rods are moving in opposite directions in that zone of overlap, and this opposite movement produces an important advantage in the event of thread breakage; Suppose, for example, that the thread breaks at point C and has a tendency to fall over the adjacent bar i2c which it has just left; this, in the case of the prior art interdigitating reels, could produce a serious tangle. In the present case, however, the broken'end merely rides with-the bar until it is struck'by one of the oppositely.- moving bars 28, at which time it is knockedloose from its prior position and-is caused to hang free from the lower cage it where convenientcorrective measures can be taken by theoperator. In the event that the break is not instantlydiscovered, all that happens is the production fwaste in the collection trough below the cage l-l' w here the waste can be easilyand conveniently removed without the necessity of stopping the thread-storage, thread-advancing unit for cleaning.

It should be noted that, although the cage i0 is supported from one end while thecage I [is supported from the other, the advantages of can.-

tilever construction are fully retained due ,to the fact that the sup-porting shaft for the cage 10 passes centrally through the cage-while thesupporting shaft for the cage H extends-from one end thereof. A i

.T e "spider lfir y being ma e i e a it 'ih component bars ofthe cage I 0, provides a rounded surface where the bars are curved radially ina dly so that-removal-of the thread-from the left-hand end .of the cage ID, as it is viewedin Figure l, is easy, and flanges, such as are pro- The foregoing description has been concerned I with but a single embodiment of the present invention, but it is apparent that various modifications and alterations of the illustrated and de' scribed form of the invention are possible Within the scope of the appended claim. For example, more than two cages or reels may be employed in which their peripheries overlap in a zone between their axes. It is only necessary to vary the number of bars or rods and their circumferential spacing so that they interdigitate properly.

What is claimed is:

A thread-storage, thread-advancing device comprising a pair of reels, each reel including a plurality of circumferentially spaced bars, the bars of one of said reels beingcurved radially inwardly at one end to form a supporting spider, the bars of the other of said reels being supported by a disc, said disc and spider being at the opposite ends of the respective reels, a reel supporting and driving shaft extending from the spider centrally through that reel, another supporting and driving shaft extending from the disc away from the reel, said shafts being supported from one end only thereof with the shaft 6 axes convergent in the direction of the unsupported ends of the shafts and so spaced that the path of movement'of the bars of one reel overlaps the path of movement of the bars of the other reel in a zone lying between the axes of the two shafts, a bearing plate to support said "other supporting and driving shaft and a bearing block to support said reel supporting and driving shaft, said bearing block being pivotally mounted on aid bearing plate, means to pivot said bearing *block to change the convergence of said shaft axes and means for driving the shafts in the same direction and at the same speed.

ARTHUR L. JACKSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,002,995 I-Iartmann et al. May 28, 1935 2,074,022 Oppenlaender Mar. 16, 1937 2,129,284 Uytenbogaart Sept. 6, 1938 2,145,281 Walters Jan. 31, 1939 2,267,402 Helm Dec. 23, 1941 2,289,390 Torrence et al July 14, 1942 2,398,808 Slayter et al. Apr. 23, 1946 

